Don't you hate missing Will o' Wisp? Do your Scalds never burn? Well, good news -- your opponent is already burned! And...so are you. So is everyone.
Everyone is burned.
Clauses: Standard OU Clauses
Banlist: Standard OU Banlist +
Unbanlist:
-
Mechanic: Every Pokemon that can be burned will start the battle in a burned state.
If this burn is removed, it will re-apply itself at the end of the next active turn like the Flame Orb.
While this seems like a small change, it has massive repercussions on the metagame. Not only does it cause huge shifts in viability, but it creates a ticking time bomb that speeds up the pace of the battle as everyone burns to death. Not only do you need to pay attention to how much damage your opponent can do to you, but you need to ration off some life to survive your Burn. On the flip-side, that final tick of damage can help you turn 3HKOs into 2HKOs and so on. While the extra damage benefits Offense, doesn't mean Stall is dead: as long as you can outlast the opponent, everyone will fall to flames eventually. Who better to outlast than a Stall 'mon?
Let's look at what might flourish in this metagame, and what will turn to ashes.
Increased Viability:
Special Attackers: Without the damage drop that the Burn status brings, Special Attackers can still attack at full power without any gimmicks. It goes without saying that as Special Attackers gain popularity, Special Walls will follow them.
Guts/Quick Feet/Facade Users: Without the need to hold a Flame/Toxic Orb, Pokemon like Ursaring, Conkeldurr and Heracross can run items like Choice Band/Scarf, Assault Vest and Leftovers (to mitigate the passive damage). Even defensive Pokemon can benefit, as running Facade on a mono-attacking set is now very powerful, even Pokemon that resist it won't appreciate base 140 damage.
Pixilate/Refrigerate/Aerilate Users: Normal is a pretty poor choice for a mono-attacker, unless you're Mega Lopunny. The infamous -ate abilities can turn that type into something more favorable like Flying or Ice, and hit with boosted power. Mega Pinsir, Mega Glalie and Mega Altaria can all make good use of a mono-attacking set with Facade and set-up moves/recover/utility.
Fire Types: An oft-maligned type due to a Stealth Rock weakness and poor resistances, Fire type Pokemon now hold the distinct advantage of remaining unburned. Physical attackers like Entei and Talonflame can strike at full strength, while defensive Pokemon like Heatran and Rotom-H won't suffer from the residual damage. But watch out for Soak! If you get hit, you'll be burned at the turn's end, and stay that way until cured.
Hex Users: Hex is normally an underwhelming 65 bp Ghost move, but if your opponent is afflicted by status, it jumps to an impressive 130 bp. Pokemon like Drifblim and Chandelure, which already are good picks in this metagame, jump in popularity thanks to a massive upgrade from Shadow Ball. Just watch out for Fire types that won't take the double damage, or Normal types are just outright immune.
Magic Guard Users: A burned Magic Guard User not only takes no damage from the Burn, but they cannot be afflicted by another more troubling status effect, like Paralysis and Sleep. Pokemon like Clefable and Alakazam and Sigilyph will surely see greater use.
Recovery/Regenerator Users: Already a vital part of competitive play, recovery matters now more than every Wish-passers and Leech Seed user can even spread that recovery to their teammates, allowing them to survive their un-ending Burn.
Natural Cure Users: While the Burn will return, switching out resets the counter and allows you a Burn-free turn when you come back in. Pokemon like Chansey that are always switching around can spare themselves a lot of passive damage.
Water Veil Users: If there were any good users of this ability, surely they'd be viable! Floatzel and Huntail may see more use due to being the only viable physical Water types, as they are no longer outclassed by threats like Azumaril.
Marvel Scale Users: Milotic can sponge physical and special attacks thanks to this ability, and the legendary wall, Eviolite Dragonair, will surely take the meta by storm (probably not...I can dream).
Flare Boost Users: A great ability that surely has lots of viable...oh wait its just Drifblim. Praise the blimp!
Decreased Viability:
Most Physical Attackers: Aside from those possessing the traits listed above, Physical Attackers have been scorched to irrelevancy. OU staples like Azumaril and Landorus-T are utterly crippled. Even Mega Mawile returns from Ubers only to suck!
No-Recovery Walls: Already in a shaky position, Pokemon like Mega Aggron and Goodra can only last for so long without reliable recovery moves to keep them healthy. Rest can help, as you won't take burn damage while asleep, but you'll also be a sitting duck.
Sweepers: A good sweeper can clean up an opponent's team without taking any damage. Now, that's pretty much a necessity, as otherwise they will die on their own from Burn. Unless you can get a safe switch and set up, you'll have taken too much damage to finish the job.
Status-Spreaders: Why would you need a Pokemon like Sableye to spread burns now that everyone is already burned? Why use Scald over Surf or Hydro Pump? Pokemon that relied on these moves are basically out of a job, though Toxic, Paralysis and Sleep users can still take on the occasional Fire type.
Life Orb Users: As you're losing 12% HP per turn to the Burn, another 10% per attack adds up quickly. While still manageable, Life Orb attackers are a more risky gambit in this metagame. Items like Expert Belt and Wise Glasses may have to fill the void.
Focus Sash/Sturdy/Multiscale Users: This one is pretty simple -- you can't maintain a Sash/Sturdy/Multiscale if you're taking damage every turn. Fans of putting a Sash on a frail but powerful Pokemon as a last resort will have to stick with Fire types, Magic Guard Users, and the mighty Sash Floatzel.
Heal Bell/Aromatherapy Users: Using one of these moves will only soothe the pain for a brief instant, so there's really no point except to save an extra turn of damage and power reduction.
Q&A:
Q: What if my Pokemon is holding a Lum Berry/Rawst Berry?
A: The burn will be cured as you switch in, the berry will be consumed, and you'll be burned at the end of the turn. My question to you is -- why would you want that?
Q: What if my Pokemon is holding a Toxic Orb?
A: If your status is cured by Heal Bell/Refresh/etc., then on the next available turn, your Toxic Orb will activate before you're burned again. That sounds like an awful lot of work to use Gliscor, though.
Q: What if my Pokemon is holding a Flame Orb?
A: Stop! Now you've just become the Rotom-Fan of this metagame.
Q: Why not regular Poison? It does the same damage as Burn but doesn't ruin physical attackers.
A: That's precisely the reason I didn't go with Poison. Obviously about half the game is unviable now, but there are so many damn Pokemon, that plenty of underutilized picks will rise to fill niches left by the Metagrosses of the world. Have you ever seen a Floatzel in OU? Well maybe you might now! Special attackers will surely be favored, but as OU is traditionally physically-biased, that may not be such a bad thing. Also: in the case of Poison, Steel types would be buffed. Ew.
Q: What is the code for this metagame? Why am I asking this?
A:
Q: Where can I play this?
A: You can play it on the ROM server!
Sets and Threats:
Replays:
Ghoul King vs. The Reptile [1, 2, 3, 4]
Jajoken vs. Ghoul King [1, 2]
Inundacion vs. Elveman [1]
Everyone is burned.
Clauses: Standard OU Clauses
Banlist: Standard OU Banlist +
Unbanlist:
-
Mechanic: Every Pokemon that can be burned will start the battle in a burned state.
If this burn is removed, it will re-apply itself at the end of the next active turn like the Flame Orb.
While this seems like a small change, it has massive repercussions on the metagame. Not only does it cause huge shifts in viability, but it creates a ticking time bomb that speeds up the pace of the battle as everyone burns to death. Not only do you need to pay attention to how much damage your opponent can do to you, but you need to ration off some life to survive your Burn. On the flip-side, that final tick of damage can help you turn 3HKOs into 2HKOs and so on. While the extra damage benefits Offense, doesn't mean Stall is dead: as long as you can outlast the opponent, everyone will fall to flames eventually. Who better to outlast than a Stall 'mon?
Let's look at what might flourish in this metagame, and what will turn to ashes.
Increased Viability:
Decreased Viability:
Q&A:
Q: What if my Pokemon is holding a Lum Berry/Rawst Berry?
A: The burn will be cured as you switch in, the berry will be consumed, and you'll be burned at the end of the turn. My question to you is -- why would you want that?
Q: What if my Pokemon is holding a Toxic Orb?
A: If your status is cured by Heal Bell/Refresh/etc., then on the next available turn, your Toxic Orb will activate before you're burned again. That sounds like an awful lot of work to use Gliscor, though.
Q: What if my Pokemon is holding a Flame Orb?
A: Stop! Now you've just become the Rotom-Fan of this metagame.
Q: Why not regular Poison? It does the same damage as Burn but doesn't ruin physical attackers.
A: That's precisely the reason I didn't go with Poison. Obviously about half the game is unviable now, but there are so many damn Pokemon, that plenty of underutilized picks will rise to fill niches left by the Metagrosses of the world. Have you ever seen a Floatzel in OU? Well maybe you might now! Special attackers will surely be favored, but as OU is traditionally physically-biased, that may not be such a bad thing. Also: in the case of Poison, Steel types would be buffed. Ew.
Q: What is the code for this metagame? Why am I asking this?
A:
config/formats.js
Code:
{
name: "Burning 'Mon",
section: "Other Metagames",
ruleset: ['Pokemon', 'Standard', 'Team Preview'],
banlist: ['Mewtwo', 'Lugia', 'Ho-Oh', 'Blaziken', 'Kyogre', 'Rayquaza', 'Deoxys', 'Deoxys-Attack', 'Deoxys-Defense', 'Deoxys-Speed', 'Dialga', 'Palkia', 'Giratina', 'Girainta-Origin', 'Darkrai', 'Shaymin-Sky', 'Arceus', 'Reshiram', 'Kyurem-White', 'Xerneas', 'Yveltal', 'Soul Dew', 'Gengarite', 'Salamencite', 'Red Orb'],
onBegin: function () {
this.add('-message', "Hah! You better have BURN HEAL!"); //This message is optional. Feel free to get rid of it if you don't want it.
for (var i = 0; i < this.p1.pokemon.length; i++) {
if (this.p1.pokemon[i].runImmunity('brn')) {
this.p1.pokemon[i].status = 'brn';
}
}
for (var j = 0; j < this.p2.pokemon.length; j++) {
if (this.p2.pokemon[j].runImmunity('brn')) {
this.p2.pokemon[j].status = 'brn';
}
}
},
onResidualOrder: 999, //This will always occur as the last possible occurence of the turn's residual phase.
onResidual: function () {
this.p1.pokemon[0].trySetStatus('brn');
this.p2.pokemon[0].trySetStatus('brn');
//Trust me I tried pokemon.trySetStatus it doesn't work ;_;
}
},A: You can play it on the ROM server!
Sets and Threats:
(By Mygavolt)
Glalie @ Glalitite
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Spikes
- Taunt
- filler
(By Mygavolt)
Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Cute Charm
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Encore
- Baton Pass
- Healing Wish
(By Jajoken)
RANDBATS GOD (Sigilyph) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Cosmic Power
- Stored Power
- Roost
- Charge Beam/Whirlwind
(By The Reptile)
Kangaskhan (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Facade
- Shadow Ball
- Seismic Toss
- Wish
(By The Reptile)
Zekrom @ Leftovers
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Roost
- Haze / Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse / Earth Power
(By Jajoken)
Drifblim @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Flare Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 156 SpD / 100 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Hex
- Tailwind
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Pain Split/Calm Mind/Memento
(By unfixable)
Altaria @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Facade
- Roost
- Earthquake
(By Elveman)
Kangaskhan (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Facade
- Seismic Toss
- Wish
- Protect
(By Jajoken)
Diggersby @ Silk Scarf/Leftovers
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant/Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Swords Dance
- Spikes
- Knock Off/Super Fang
(By Jajoken)
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Earthquake
- Facade/Knock Off
Glalie @ Glalitite
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Spikes
- Taunt
- filler
(By Mygavolt)
Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Cute Charm
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Encore
- Baton Pass
- Healing Wish
(By Jajoken)
RANDBATS GOD (Sigilyph) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Cosmic Power
- Stored Power
- Roost
- Charge Beam/Whirlwind
(By The Reptile)
Kangaskhan (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Facade
- Shadow Ball
- Seismic Toss
- Wish
(By The Reptile)
Zekrom @ Leftovers
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Roost
- Haze / Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse / Earth Power
(By Jajoken)
Drifblim @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Flare Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 156 SpD / 100 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Hex
- Tailwind
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Pain Split/Calm Mind/Memento
(By unfixable)
Altaria @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Facade
- Roost
- Earthquake
(By Elveman)
Kangaskhan (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Facade
- Seismic Toss
- Wish
- Protect
(By Jajoken)
Diggersby @ Silk Scarf/Leftovers
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant/Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Swords Dance
- Spikes
- Knock Off/Super Fang
(By Jajoken)
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Earthquake
- Facade/Knock Off
Ghoul King vs. The Reptile [1, 2, 3, 4]
Jajoken vs. Ghoul King [1, 2]
Inundacion vs. Elveman [1]
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